A mind map is a diagramatical representation of a central idea using words, lines and sometimes images. Also called concept mapping, it visually classifies thoughts and ideas. The process starts with an idea which branches into groups which have other ideas branching of it a radial rather than a linear format. The following high quality example was found at Mappio, an online mind map depository.
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In terms of free collaborative tools for mind mapping there are four good options. In this session we will use Mindomo because it offers the most versatility to rearrange nodes on the page and has the most extensive feature set.

Mindomo.jpg
Follow this link to collaborate on the above mind map.



Mindmeister - 3 free maps which can be exported as PDF, gif or published to a website.

Bubble.us - limited features but shareable, simple to use, more linear structure, edn pricing, 3 maps for free

Mind42 - export to image, embed maps, slightly more basic than the others but simple to set up and it is completely free


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An example of mind mapping in action is Google's Wonder Wheel which represents search results as a mind map, navigating us into the semantic web.

Enter a search term in Google, once the search results are displayed select More search tools in the left sidebar, then select Wonder Wheel. The search results will then be categorised in a mind map.

Selecting a group will expand it into further groupings with the text results on the side changing correspondingly.